People Operations Lead

Final date to receive applications:
July 6th Position Overview

CJA is hiring a People Operations Lead to serve as the operational driver of our People & Culture function. This role manages a broad range of HR responsibilities in a union environment, including benefits administration, HRIS management, compensation processing, and hiring and offboarding coordination, while serving as a trusted first point of contact for supporting staff with routine HR inquiries. The ideal candidate is a super-detail-oriented HR generalist with a strong commitment to CJA’s values, excellent independent judgment, and the ability to manage concurrent projects and interpersonal dynamics in a virtual environment.

The People Operations lead will report to the Director of Human Resources, and function as a key member of CJA’s Human Resources team.

Location:

Remote within the continental United States.

Climate Justice Alliance (CJA) was formed in 2013 to create a new center of gravity in the climate movement by uniting frontline communities and organizations into a formidable force. Our translocal organizing strategy and mobilizing capacity is building a Just Transition away from extractive systems of production, consumption and political oppression, and towards resilient, regenerative and equitable economies. We believe that the process of transition must place race, gender and class at the center of the solutions equation in order to make it a truly Just Transition.

We are a unique alliance of community, frontline, and environmental justice organizations; movement networks; and support organizations at the forefront of climate change. Our members are multicultural, intergenerational, and prioritize leadership among women, gender-oppressed, and persons of color. They come from traditionally underrepresented constituencies, including Indigenous Peoples, African American, Latinx, Asian Pacific Islander, and low-income white communities, often often located near toxic, polluting industries such as oil refineries, fracking wells, coal mines, power plants, and pipelines;

rails, ports, and other major transportation corridors; landfills and incinerators; and industrial agriculture.

• Receive, document, and conduct initial assessment of employee concerns, conflicts or disagreements and grievances, and manage resolution of routine matters independently
• In partnership with employee supervisors and the Director of Human Resources, ensure consistent application of progressive discipline processes and performance improvement plans when needed
• Conduct initial intake of employee accommodation requests

Benefits Administration and HRIS Management (20%)

• Process benefits enrollments and qualifying life events, and oversee COBRA administration
• Serve as primary contact for benefits vendors and employee inquiries
• Manage leave of absence administration (FMLA, disability, parental leave)
• Coordinate open enrollment process and employee communications

• Serve as primary administrator of HRIS system
• In partnership with the Compliance Lead, ensure accurate multi-state tax set up and reporting within our payroll system.
• Receive and review employee change requests and forms, and manage related employee data changes and system updates
• Serve as secondary payroll approval and ensure accuracy of employee adjustments and documentation

Hiring, Onboarding & Offboarding Operations (20%)

• Own related systems, and recommend improvements where needed to ensure accuracy, efficiency, clarity, and impact
• Train employees on CJA’s hiring processes as needed
• Draft staff-facing monthly staffing and hiring updates
• Post positions and manage applicant tracking system during recruitment cycles
• Support the Director of Human Resources with initial screenings for non-leadership roles
• Manage background checks and reference verifications
• Coordinate new hire preboarding and onboarding processes
• Process employment verifications
• Coordinate offboarding process and ensure HR systems and employee are updated in accordance to policies and data retention requirements

• Support performance review…